FAQ

What starts as a light-hearted story, as our hero makes a ludicrous
attempt
to ignite a revolution, quickly turns into a tragic tale of a basically
nice
guy who tries to preserve his ideals in inhumane conditions. Although the
script is an adaptation of a Tolstoy's short story, it looks more like
something Kafka would have written if he had had more sympathy for his
characters. The film reminds me of a 19th century caricature by Honore
Daumier: a kid breathes on the windowpane of a shop, is caught by a
guard,
brought to trial, spends his entire life in jail, is released an old man,
comes to the same windowpane and defiantly breathes on it, another guard
arrives, but the man is already dead. The most beautiful scenes can be
found
at the end of the film, where the splendid and barren landscape of
Venetian
marshes is used as the adequate setting for the almost unbearably
poignant
finale.

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